Heartbeat
by Claudia Harris
Summary: She said she had one, once. That all changed when it stopped for good. He's determined to get her heart to beat again, even if it's the last thing he does. If you loved someone, would you let them die? DM/HG, dark fic.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I was reading over my previous story, **_**The Malfoy Curse, **_**and let me just tell you all right now, I am sorely disappointed with myself. Really. Anyway, here's a new story. I hope to satisfy eager readers with this one. It's quite dark, I'm warning you right now, darker than anything I've ever written. I know this first chapter isn't that great, but hopefully it'll get better as I brainstorm some more. Enjoy, guys.**

The night was cool. Dark. Quiet.

The way she liked it.

She watched as a lone firefly buzzed around her head. Not even covering her ears could stifle the infernal noise it was making. She appreciated its beauty for a brief moment, then grabbed it in her hand and crushed it.

She wiped the remainder of the firefly on the log she was sitting on.

Hermione didn't think she could ever be the same. Her way of thinking had changed.

For the worse? For the better? She wasn't sure.

Uncertainty. Lately that was all it had been.

A cold breeze lifted her dark brown curls from her shoulders, blowing her robes in the direction it was going. She did not shiver. She did not move.

_Daddy, I'm sorry. Daddy, I love you._

Too fucking late, she thought to herself.

Slowly, she walked back into the castle. When she was in the corridors, every movement of the flickering flames on the walls made her jump and look anxiously behind her. Every creak, every groan, and every whistle of wind made her feel as though someone was watching her.

Softly, she hummed a little tune, then louder as it went on. She didn't know where it was from, but she sung it when she was alone, which was most of the time.

The Fat Lady wouldn't let her into Gryffindor Tower.

She had stood outside the portrait hole for an hour, waiting to be let in, but she was denied access to her own common room.

"-and another thing, young lady-"

"Relax, I'll be going," Hermione said calmly. "I'll come back in the morning."

The Fat Lady paused in her rant. "V-very well, then! See to it that you find a place to spend the night!"

Hermione began to walk away from the portrait, but in a fit of rage, she kicked her foot into the Fat Lady's face.

The Fat Lady fled from the portrait, screaming. Hermione tore off bits of canvas until there was no more of the painting left. Then, she crawled through the remaining hole and settled down in front of the fire.

She burned everything she had ripped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening. There's some inappropriate stuff in this chapter, and major language.**

"Did you hear?" Blaise asked.

"Hear about what?" Draco replied. He sipped his pumpkin juice while he read the headline story for the _Daily Prophet_.

"The Gryffindor's portrait was ripped to shreds last night. Nobody knows who did it," he said conversationally.

"That's _so_ interesting." Draco set down the _Prophet_ and drank some more pumpkin juice. "Why should I give a damn about those bloody Gryffindors?"

Blaise blinked, then looked down. "Sorry. Thought you'd want to know."

"Well, I _don't_." He retorted.

When Blaise had stopped paying attention to him, he cast his eyes over to the Gryffindor table. How long had it been since Granger had come for breakfast? The only times he saw her in the Great Hall was at dinner, and even then, she wouldn't touch any food. Draco hated to admit it, but he'd been obsessing over her for some time. Her behavior was so... Erratic. Everything she did now, there was no purpose behind it. No reason. It was that that made Draco watch her.

The night before, he had followed her out of the castle. She'd sat outside for hours despite the cold. Then, when she had gone back into the castle, Draco on her heels, unnoticed because of his Invisibility Cloak, she had destroyed the portrait of the Fat Lady. He didn't plan on snitching on her, of course, because it brought him satisfaction to know that she had done it.

Draco was still sitting there when everyone else had left. At that point, he went to his classes, his mind still on Granger.

That night, he followed her out of the castle again. She had bundled up appropriately, seeing as the wind was worse than it was the night before.

She wandered over to the lake, tripping over stones and uneven ground. Once, Draco saw her tumble down a hill, and when she got up, her face was covered in scratches and blood. He knew that if he tried to help her, she would most likely hex him, or worse. The old Granger, certainly, wouldn't have done anything reckless. This Granger, however, would not hesitate to kill him. That he was sure of.

When she reached the lake, he saw her strip herself of her clothes, leaving only her undergarments on. He didn't look away, rather, he kept his eyes on her. She was so fascinating. How was it possible for her olive skin to turn ivory in the moonlight, anyway?

Then, she walked into the water. She didn't cry out, but he knew she was cold. He saw every tremor her body made, heard every breathy pant. She went down into the water for a moment, then surfaced. All the while, he heard her hum a song he had heard her hum many times before. It was calming, but the tune was also mysterious. It sent a shiver down his spine.

Granger came out of the water, then, shivering. Instead of putting on her robes, she reached into them and pulled out something shiny and sharp.

A knife.

Draco watched as she sliced into the skin of her wrist. Blood flowed from the cut and into the water, onto the sand. Granger hissed. She made the cut deeper, pressing hard with the knife. He wondered if he should stop her, but he made no move to. Then, when the bloody knife had dropped back onto her robes, she lifted her wrist to her mouth and sucked on it.

Blood dripped down her chin, down her body, spilling onto her undergarments, turning them from white to red. Draco knew it was possible for her to bleed out. How much blood had she lost already? He had to be honest with himself, it would be a pity if the object of his fascination were to collapse, void of blood...

He took off his Invisibility cloak and put it where she'd put her robes. He walked towards her, slowly, careful not to make noise. Then, when he was close enough, he pried her wrist from her lips. She elbowed him in the ribs, and he groaned, falling to the ground, breathing roughly.

"What the fuck do you want, Malfoy?"

Draco didn't reply.

She kicked his Invisibility cloak off her robes and grabbed the knife. She climbed on top of him, straddling him, holding the knife to his neck.

"That Muggle weapon can't possibly harm me, Mudblood." He sneered. She dragged the knife's tip to his cheek and cut a red line from his temple to a few centimetres from his lips.

"False," she said softly. "Tell me why you've been following me."

Draco chuckled, unfazed by the bleeding cut on his face. "What a smart girl you are, Granger. You've known this whole time, haven't you?"

She nodded, her dark curls bobbing. "Answer my damn question before I kill you."

"You won't," Draco stated simply. "Because then you won't know why I've been following you out here every night, you won't know why I watch you."

"You fucker. Just tell me."

"In due time, my sweet."

"Tell me _now_. Or else."

"Or else what?" Draco threw his head back and laughed. "You're no threat to me, Granger."

"Yeah? Is that what you think? I'm not a little innocent Mudblood anymore, scum."

She sliced his robes with her knife. Draco closed his eyes and felt the cold on his exposed skin. "I should just leave you here to freeze to death," she murmured. "You'd deserve it."

"I'm sure I would," Draco said. "But that would get us nowhere."

Granger had removed his robes. He was left in his underwear, and with the compromising position they were in, he could imagine fucking her until she screamed his name. Now, _that_ would be interesting.

"What would you do if I cut your cock off?" She asked.

"I'd kill you."

"Mhm."

She was silent for a moment. Then-

"You're hard."

"Thanks for noticing." Draco said sarcastically.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Granger questioned.

"I don't know," he replied. "I'll probably take care of it later."

She scoffed. "Better to take care of it now."

His eyes flew open. "You are _not_ touching my penis. No way."

Granger smiled darkly. "Just a thought." Her eyes moved towards the cut on his cheek and ran her index finger down it. She brought the finger to her mouth and sucked, her expression turning tranquil.

"Why do you like blood so much?"

She didn't answer. Draco sighed.

"I find you interesting," he said softly. "That's why I watch you."

"Why?"

"You just are." He responded.

"That's funny."

She got off of him and put on her robes, slipping the knife into her pocket. Then, she used her wand to repare his robes.

"You're not even going to apologize for cutting them up, are you?"

"No."

He dressed and picked up his Invisibility cloak.

"So, I can watch you without repercussions, right?" He asked.

"Yeah. Do whatever the fuck you want, Malfoy."

Draco nodded, and they walked back up to the castle.

**Review if you want.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I have nothing better to do.**

X

Somehow, going to the lake with Malfoy every night was becoming a routine.

"Why do you insist on coming with me every single time?" Hermione asked, annoyed beyond belief. Malfoy shrugged.

"Granger, you're just _that_ fascinating."

"Whatever."

They took the usual path from the castle to the lake, careful not to trip over protruding roots and rocks. The water seemed unusually calm, placid in a way Hermione had never seen it. It was getting warmer, so taking a dip wasn't so bad. The water's temperature had risen a bit. Not only that, but having a live, human body beside her was better than being alone.

Hermione began to take off her robes. Malfoy did the same, and together, they waded into the lake. The water lapped at her skin, drenching her. She looked up at the sky.

"The moon's full." Malfoy stated. Hermione stared at him, then nodded. She took a deep breath. "I'm cold," she whispered. "So cold."

She didn't expect him to do anything, but when his arms encircled themselves around her bare waist, she shook her head.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes?"

"Get your hands off of me."

He laughed. "Why should I?"

"I'll drown you if you don't."

He let go, moving away from her slightly. "So, I'm not allowed to touch you, then?"

"No."

Malfoy sighed. Hermione got out of the water and went back to her robes.

_I wonder..._

"Ma- Draco, could you help me put these on?"

She watched as he came towards her, hair dripping with the water from the lake.

"You called me by my first name."

"We're on a first name basis, aren't we?"

"I wasn't aware of that."

She lay down on the sand. "Dress me."

He slipped her skirt onto her. "Your legs are smooth," he remarked. "Very smooth."

She nodded and handed him her shirt. She noticed how his eyes lingered on her chest for longer than they should have...

"You want me, don't you?"

Malfoy froze. "Well, you're attractive, aren't you?"

"I don't know. Tell me just how attractive I am."

He looked at her, his gaze intense. "Your eyes... They're perfectly shaped. Dark, big, mysterious... Your eyelashes are so long, too."

Hermione grinned inwardly.

"Your lips. They're full. Luscious..."

She blinked. "You think so?"

He nodded. "And your hair."

"It's ugly."

"No, it's sexy." He countered. "Your body is, too."

"You didn't answer my question, you know." Hermione said, smirking.

"Mm?"

"Do you want me?"

Malfoy cleared his throat. "Yes, I suppose I do."

"Well, I have a confession," Hermione murmured.

"What's that?"

"I..." she said breathily. "I'm rather tired. I think I'll be going to bed now. See you."

She left him there, feeling something heavy settle in her stomach.

X

**I kind of want reviews, if it's not an inconvenience :)**


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